Super Ghouls 'N Ghosts

"Sir Arthur is ready to die on the GBA screen"

Capcom is one amazing software house. You can always expect them to try to milk out every ounce of money out of your wallet with a constant stream of updates of their most appreciated games - updates that, more often than not, have so few additions and/or innovations in them that even considering buying them would appear ridiculous to anyone who thinks with his or her mind before than with his or her heart. But most gamers, you know, make decisions with their heart, because they'll always love a good original game, and they'll always want to buy whatever sequel to that beloved game, no matter what.

Let's face it, Capcom makes good games. The role of this softco in the success of most videogame consoles, from the NES to the PlayStation and beyond, is an undeniably important one. When Capcom releases an original, brand-new game, it's almost always sure to make a sensation. Think of Mega Man, or Resident Evil, for example - games that boosted sales of the consoles they were made for incredibly. Unfortunately, Capcom is also sadly famous for never learning a good lesson. When sequels to their original games appear, they make for a primary example of the ''more of the same'' formula. Innovation is lacking, but what players know and love returns (almost) intact. And players around the world, who only appreciate innovation when it is forced on them, open their wallets once more, providing Capcom the money they need to make yet another (and perhaps, even less innovating) sequel, therefore saturating a market they practically created on their own (Street Fighter II, anyone?). Which is a pain for everyone who'd like a breath of fresh air every once in a while.

What most players don't know is that Capcom's love for sequels and rehashes started much before the adventures of the blue robot and the endless ''hadouken''. It was 1985 when they first published in the arcades the game that would cause many people around the world to swear more than they used to believe was possible. This game was Makaimura (The Infernal Village), known in the West with the immortal title of Ghosts 'n Goblins. It was one of the hardest games in history, featuring a degree of wickedness and brutality that has rarely been equalled in subsequent games. Unequalled because, even if getting to the end of even the very first level meant trying it for literally dozens of times, people kept coming back for more. Because it was clear that getting to the end wasn't impossible - you just had to be exceptionally good, know the levels in detail, and possibly, have a great amount of luck.

In spite of the fact that very few actually managed to complete it, the game was a success, so Capcom released as many as two sequels in the following years, the last being Chohmakaimura (Super Infernal Village), which is known here as Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts. The story remains the same, with the red winged demon kidnapping Sir Arthur's beloved one and taking her in a room at the end of seven hellish stages. And so the game begins, with Sir Arthur fighting his way through endless hordes of ghouls with a variety of legendary crappy weapons, from the standard javelin through the bow that can't shoot straight ahead of you, up to the awful torches that are sure to bring you to death if you can't find anything better in the following ten seconds. And the fact doesn't help that Sir Arthur is as athletic as a chicken with poliomyelitis, running slower than anything he may encounter in his quest, and featuring a double jump so stiff it will often see you land right where you least want to.

But it's the level design that will have oh-so-many players screaming at the top of their lungs insults that many of them aren't even old enough to pronounce if there's any adults around. Because Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts is a game that likes to humiliate your efforts, and the harder you try, the more dust it'll make you bite. Enemies come from everywhere since the very beginning, raising from the ground, appearing out of nowhere, falling on you from above. It's only a matter of time before you get hit and your shiny blue armor dissolves to leave Sir Arthur in underwear, ready to take the hit that will turn him into a miserable pile of bones. Because once you're left in boxers, finding a new armor anywhere is very unlikely, also because to find a treasure chest, you have to double jump in places you'd never want to. And even if you do find a chest, it's 90% percent sure that it will contain a weapon less useful than the one you're currently using - and in that case, you'd be lucky, because it's also possible that you find a wizard that will turn you into a baby, or a duck, leaving you defenseless for a short - yet soooo long - time.

Yes, the game is hard, and there are three elements that contribute to make it hard to the point you'll think it's impossible. First: many enemies are designed to appear randomly, and it's not rare that they will appear RIGHT ON YOU while you're trying to make a difficult jump, or to kill another monster. This is unfair the first time, and just plain ridiculous from the second time on. Second: the red demons. They rank among the most hated creatures in the videogaming world, for the simple fact that they're there to trash you without you having the chance to retaliate. They don't have a pattern, apart from running away from your hits, and killing them without getting hit is almost impossible because their movements are unpredictable. Consider that in every Makaimura game there's always a level with a lot of these guys in it, and you may well understand why it is so hard to get to the end, no matter how hard you try. Third: again, just when you think you've made it to the end, the game sends you back to the first level to get a weapon to beat the final boss definitely. If somehow you've managed to reach the final stage once, this will probably tempt you to do bad things to your GBA or to the game cartridge. And remember, if you happen to lose that weapon during your second (and more difficult) trip through the game, you'll have to... well, you get it.

These are the three main faults of the game, and they're enough to see most gamers return their copies of Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts to the shop. Because level design is one thing, and it can justify the difficulty of the game. It's hard, OK, but it can be done by trying and trying again. Old games were like this, and they could be finished. That's OK. But you can't fail to notice that there's pure sadism here. Sir Arthur isn't the most versatile character in the world, but you can overcome his stiffness with practice. But if you add to it the random-appearing monsters, the unpredictable red demons, and the fact that you have to re-do the whole thing from scratch just when you're thinking you've finally made it, it all sums up to create a game that was ludicrously frustrating back in 1991, and it's even more today. As usual, Capcom didn't learn anything from the original game, to the point that you wonder whether they actually had game testers back then.

However, Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts can't be considered a bad game. Technically, it's very nice (something you can always expect from Capcom), with detailed graphics and music that, even if not exactly beautiful, will get to your head in minutes to never fade away. The series' theme belongs to the legend and is as unforgettable as ever. Of course the game slows down sometimes, but it's common Capcom stuff, and it's not as unbearable as in other games. Unfortunately, practically nothing was changed from the Super Nintendo version.

Most of all, the game can be fun. Because it poses a great challenge, even at the Easy level (is there really any difference between the three of them?), and if you are patient enough not to trash the cartridge after ten minutes, you will definitely come back for more. And more. And more, until you can at least get to the final battle. For just anyone can feel that it can be done, that they can make it past yet this level, once they know its every trap and monster. The addition of a save feature contributes to enhance replayability after the player's legitimate rage has vanquished, and a new ''Arrange'' mode - featuring different paths through the game - may appeal to those who've played through the original mode. So, it's not a disaster: it's just that it's unfair and unforgiving, and just too brutal at times.

The real question is, why should anyone bother? Why buy Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts when Yoshi's Island is due out the day before? Why play this game when there are more rewarding titles out there for GBA, even if not as challenging? But most of all, why give Capcom the money to make more of this, especially after they ported two good games as the two first installments of Breath of Fire? Players have money, and therefore the power to stop this now. There was no reason to bring Sir Arthur and the red demons back from the grave, and even if there was one, then they should have ported Demon's Crest instead, so at least the red demons could be remembered fondly, and not doomed to eternal hatred from gamers around the world. Games have changed a lot since 1991, and although Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts can still appeal to many, its flaws remain unforgivable. Remember, level design is one thing, and sadism is another. And while we're eager to see more of the former in new, original GBA games, the latter is unjustifiable. Always.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 09/24/02, Updated 09/24/02